It is becoming increasingly important for the power industry to realize that it must produce more energy output with fewer resources. Maximizing the efficiency of power devices has become a prime consideration with respect to the conservation of energy. In many cases, fluid power systems are more efficient than electrical power systems and fluid actuated power devices themselves, because of their specific designs, contribute to this efficiency.
For instance, fluid motors offer greater advantages over electrical motors, such as better power-to-weight ratios, reversing capability and ability to stall without damage under extreme loads. Fluid motors can also operate in hazardous environments without risk of explosion, a feature not achievable by unprotected electrically actuated motors. Rather than using a bulky and generally more expensive high speed electrical motor with a speed reducer to produce high torque at low speeds, a low speed, high torque fluid power device offers similar and sometimes superior performance in a single package at lower cost. For these reasons, the need for continually providing improvements in fluid power devices remains a significant challenge to the power industry so that more work can eventually be performed at lower energy expenditures.